Last Thanksgiving we visited Charleston on our way to visit family in Beaufort. The week following we learned about Dottie’s Spina Bifida diagnosis, then I hit the third trimester, Dottie was born, and here I am finally sharing our Charleston Travel Guide. Better late than never! We loved every second of our time in Charleston and I am dying to go back when I am not expecting so I can fully enjoy all the fresh seafood (mainly oysters). xoxo
Mills House Hotel: We stayed at Mills House, a Hilton property, centrally located in downtown Charleston. The Delux City View Room did not have much of a “city view”, but had plenty of space for us to spend our evenings watching Office reruns in our room comfortably. I was pregnant so after a day of walking around the city I was not up for exploring the nightlife or staying up past 10. The hotel is rumored to be haunted by the Confederate army, and while I do not believe in ghosts, I loved that the building had history.
Where to Eat:
Church & Union: The converted old church is beautiful and the food was delicious. I enjoyed the scallops and Alex had the swordfish, which was a nightly special.
Poogan’s Porch: We stopped by Poogan’s Porch for brunch because it was across the street from Mills House. We enjoyed the Fried Green Tomatoes, She-Crab Soup, and French Toast.
Miller’s All Day: The branding and freshly baked cookies in the font case are the only reasons we stopped in Miller’s for a late lunch. I am glad it caught my eye because everything we tried was delicious! We enjoyed the Pimento Cheese, Quiche, Signature Fried Chicken Biscuit, and of course a Monster Cookie.
Mac’s Pub: Our original plan was to catch the USA World Cup match at The Griffon, but they were closed for an event. Mac’s was on our way back towards the hotel and had delicious pub food and plenty of TVs. There is not a bad seat to watch a game!
Amen Street Fish + Raw Bar: This is one of the restaurants I want to revisit when I am able to eat more on the menu! We enjoyed sharing the Shrimp Scampi and Lobster Ravioli, and Alex tried an Oyster Shooter because why not?
Carmella’s Cafe and Dessert Bar: After dinner at Amen Street, we walked across the street to Carmella’s for dessert. Their Key Lime Pie and Cannolis were heavenly, everything in the case looked so good we had a hard time deciding on just two things!
167 Raw Oyster Bar: 167 Raw Oyster Bar and their sister concept, Bar 167, are both on the top of my list to revisit! Alex enjoyed oysters and ceviche at 167 Raw Bar and I had a fantastic Lobster Tostada. We stopped by Bar 167 before dinner one night to enjoy mocktails and their menu was full of fresh fish dishes.
Le Farfalle: We like to include one nicer dinner on each trip where we can sit down and enjoy each other’s company. Le Farfalle was the perfect atmosphere and we highly recommend the Braised Artichokes, Rigatoni Verde, and Fideos.
Off Track Ice Cream: There was a theme of post-dinner dessert on this trip, so after La Farfalle we walked across the street to Off Track. I always go for chocolate and had a scoop of Chocolate Fudgy Brownie, and Alex fell in love with the Salted Pretzel Toffee cold brew milkshake.
Blind Tiger: Before heading to Beaufort we walked through the neighborhoods leading to The Battery and ended our trip with proper pub fare. We shared truffle fries with wings and chicken fingers.
Other recommendations we did not have a chance to visit: Chez Nous, Husk, Circa 1886, The Establishment, The Ordinary, The Obstinate Daughter, Leon’s Oyster Shop, Fleet Landing, Maison, Zero Restaurant + Bar, Darling Oyster Bar, Frannie & the Fox, Magnolias, and 82 Queen.
What to Do:
Old South Carriage Ride: If there is a historical city tour you will find me on it! A few carriage companies run tours through Charleston, but we enjoyed Old South. Each tour starts by receiving a “route” so you never know which part of the city you are going to see. Our tour started at the Charleston City Market and worked south through the homes leading to The Battery. I recommend stopping by Clerks Coffee, across the parking lot, to grab a coffee for the tour.
Gibbes Museum of Art: The Gibbes was very close to our hotel and we walked past the museum so many times before deciding to stop in. I am so glad we did! They have a great collection of local Charleston art and the galleries are very easy to walk through in about an hour.
The Charleston Museum: This museum was way cooler than I expected and they had something for everyone. I knew Charleston had deep American history roots, but I never realized just how big of a role the city played. We did not take the time to explore the children’s section, but from a glance, it looked very interactive.
Croghan’s Jewel Box: I really wish I was in the market for some antique jewelry or heirloom silver because Croghan’s had some gorgeous pieces. It was fun to walk around and daydream of needing novelty silver salt and pepper shakers or elaborate cuff links.
Waterfront Park: Charleston, while surrounded by water, was built further inland and has very little views of the water. Waterfront Park offers a long pier and plenty of benches to enjoy the views of the harbor. It is also home to the iconic Palmetto tree water fountain.
The Battery: Highly recommend taking a Sunday morning stroll through the beautiful homes to the water while sipping coffee and listening to all the church bells. We visited the week before Thanksgiving so a few homes were already decorated for Christmas!
Rainbow Row: The iconic colorful homes were an easy walk from our hotel to The Battery.
Fort Sumter: For the first time in my life I left one day of our trip totally unplanned. We woke up and picked a few things we had not seen or done yet to fill our day. Fort Sumter was on that list and unfortunately needed to be planned. We missed the last ferry to the island by a few minutes and were only able to visit the small museum on the mainland. This will certainly be at the top of our list for our next trip!
Angel Oak Tree: We had a little time to kill before our flight home, so we stopped by the Angel Oak Tree just before the park closed. It was incredible to see such an old and enormous oak tree in person, highly recommend going a little out of the way to see it.
Other recommendations we did not have a chance to visit: Edmondston-Alston House, Nathaniel Russell House, Aiken Rhett House, Williams Mansion, Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry, South Carolina Aquarium, and Sullivan’s Island.
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